Jurgen Klopp knows better than most just how good his players are and now that Virgil van Dijk has secured a place in the FIFA FIFPro Men’s World 11, there was no way of stopping him praising the defender.
Speaking with the media ahead of the match with Wolves, the boss said: “I don’t think he got in this team just because of his last four or five performances, it was because of [the] last year and I think that’s fully and absolutely deserved”.
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It could be viewed as a backhanded compliment by some but it’s clear that the 55-year-old was referring to the fact the our No.4 has been out injured of late and not that he’s been in horrific form.
Following his lengthy knee problem, for the Dutchman to bounce back with a place in a world 11 just shows how special he is.
You can watch Klopp’s comments on van Dijk via @footballdaily on Twitter:
🗣️ “I don’t think he got in this team based off his last 4 or 5 performances, it was because of last year and it was deserved.”
Jürgen Klopp on Virgil van Dijk being named in the FIFA FIFPRO World XI. 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/MVdxXGwxhf
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 28, 2023
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